TAMPA, Fla. — Neuraspace, the Portuguese space traffic management startup, announced 15.6 million euros ($18 million) in fresh funding Aug. 5 to expand European space domain awareness (SDA) and defense capabilities.

The financing comprises a six million euro Series B round from venture capitalists and 9.6 million euros from Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, an EU-backed national program created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Neuraspace spokesperson said the public funding will directly support NeuraspaceDEF, an AI-powered, dual-use SDA platform for government and defense users.

Neuraspace’s software combines data from public catalogs, ground-based telescope partners and its own optical sensors to improve satellite tracking. The company aims to provide operators with near-real-time orbital information, collision alerts and maneuver guidance, while supporting government and defense users with anomaly detection, threat assessment and autonomous decision-making tools.

According to Neuraspace, it currently monitors more than 600 satellites operated by commercial and institutional customers including Spire Global and the European Space Agency.

Revenue has also grown more than 350% over the past year as low Earth orbit becomes increasingly congested, the company said without elaborating.

Neuraspace has now raised around 29 million euros since it was founded in 2020, the spokesperson said, with the latest fundraising proceeds also earmarked for complementing existing optical telescopes with radar sensors as part of a multi-source data strategy.

While proliferating constellations increase collision risks, Neuraspace said operators are also facing cyberattacks, radio-frequency and navigation interference, amid increasingly sophisticated counterspace activities that require continuous operational awareness and rapid decision support.

Building European-controlled sensing and analysis capabilities also reduces dependence on U.S. systems, supporting a broader push for sovereignty.

“When Neuraspace was founded, our mission was to make space safer,” Neuraspace CEO Chiara Manfletti said in a statement.

“That mission has evolved with the operational reality. Today, protecting satellites means addressing both accidental risks and intentional threats. Safety and security are no longer separate challenges — they are two sides of the same operational problem.”

In September 2024, Neuraspace announced a partnership with the Portuguese Air Force that included hosting an optical telescope at Beja Air Base in Portugal.

NATO later selected the company for the 2026 cohort of its Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA.

More recently, Neuraspace said it was chosen as prime contractor by a European defense ministry, but declined to provide more details ahead of a planned announcement in September.

Lince Capital, Explorer Investments and Armilar Venture Partners participated in the Series B round.